asian photography may 2015

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MAY 2015 ` 100 US$9

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Vol. 27 - No.05

TIPS & TECHS

The 3rd edition of Artistique is back and its even bigger this time!

All about PanoramasChoosing a Destination

Guide to getting a perfect star trail

Go Pro!

10 SHOTS Every Travel

Photographer Must Click

Nikon D7200

TIPS FROM THE PROS

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY WITH PROSSHOOT MY CITY

EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS

Ratnagiri

SanDisk iXpand Honor 6 Plus

Exclusive

w w w. a s i a n p h o t o g r a p h y i n d i a . c o m

EDITOR / PUBLISHER Trilok Desai

GROUP HEADBhavya Desai

DIRECTOR MARKETINGAruna Desai

SENIOR CORRESPONDENTSFred ShippieLester Ledesma

NEW DELHI BUREAUAmitabh JoshiToprit SaifiPalak Sharma

EDITORIAL TEAMAbhishek DesaiUshma DhamdhereSouradeep RoyPurva Damle

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Lopamudra Ganguly (Delhi)

DESIGNGoraksh KokateRajendra Gaikwad

MANAGER ADVERTISINGLaila Rupawalla

DY. MANAGER ADVERTISINGKora Ganguly

MARKETING EXECUTIVERagini DesaiMamata BhideIndu LekhaHashim KhatriNikhil KalyanpadNishant Sharma (Delhi)Ritesh Thakkar (Delhi)

COPY DESKSameer Gadkari

PRODUCTION MANAGERManoj Surve

MUMBAI OFFICE:509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road,Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053.Tel: 91-22-40401919Fax: 91-22-40401927E-mail: [email protected]


MAY 2015 ` 100 US$9

JOIN US ON

Vol. 27 - No.05

TIPS & TECHS

The 3rd edition of Artistique is back and its even bigger this time!

All about PanoramasChoosing a Destination

Guide to getting a perfect star trail

Go Pro!

10 SHOTS Every Travel

Photographer Must Click

Nikon D7200

TIPS FROM THE PROS

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY WITH PROSSHOOT MY CITY

EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS

Ratnagiri

SanDisk iXpand Honor 6 Plus

Exclusive

Cover Design: Rajendra GaikwadCover Image: Ralph Velasco

BHAVYA DESAI

Published by TRILOK DESAI on behalf of Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd., 509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA Printed by TRILOK DESAI on behalf of Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd., 509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA Printed at Indigo Press India Pvt Ltd, Plot No 1 C/716, Off Dadoji Konddeo Cross Road, Between Sussex & Retiwala Industrial Estate, Byculla, Mumbai, Published at 509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA Editor - TRILOK DESAI.All material covered by copyright; No part of the contents of this journal may be published or reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the publisher. The views and opinons expressed by the authors do not necessarily refl ect those of the publisher or the editorial staff.Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd. and ASIAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND IMAGING is not responsible and liable for any comments and articles published by its contributors and will not be liable for any damages. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai, India.

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Travel, travel and some more travelSubmissions open for Artistique 2015 contest (Read Page 18-19)

3MAY 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

The summer is here, and with the scorching heat and humidity, it also brings

the opportunity to explore great places. With most schools and colleges

commencing their summer vacations this month, families make trips during this

period. So if you are one of those and also a photography enthusiast, then you

would enjoy each and every page of this months issue. And if you are planning

a trip in the near future then it will give you some great information on several

destinations.

As you might have already guessed by now, this month we have circled the

theme of the issue around travel photography. We have gone to great lengths

to carefully think about the content in the magazine and come up with a

combination of articles that will most benefi t those who are travelling this season.

Not only have we lined up the content on these lines, but also have some of the

best travel photographers from the globe to provide you with some great tips on

shooting great pictures.

Some of the articles that you must read in this issue include 10 Shots Every

Travel Photographer Must Click, Choosing a Destination, Guide to getting

perfect Star trail, Travel Portraits among others. In fact, we even have a travel

feature in the mobile section of the magazine.

Apart from this we also have a great review section this month, with a cross

section of products from the industry. The complete section is of Exclusive

Reviews, which includes the Nikon D7200, the recently launched Honor 6 Plus

smartphone and the SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive.

Starting this month, the submissions for Artistique 2015 are also open for the

readers. Make sure that you see the creative, which provides all the information

in this edition. We have a beautiful exhibit lined up for this edition and if you were

to make it to the fi nals then it will be something completely worth it.

Lastly, as I type this, there has been the tragedy of the earthquake in Nepal,

and the aftershocks felt in India. Our heart goes out to all the people that have

suffered in this catastrophe, and hope and pray that everyone is safe and that

things are restored swiftly. May god give you and your family strength in this

diffi cult time.

Until Next Time.

Happy Reading!!!!

MAY 2015News

Shoot My City Ratnagiri

4-150mm Tamron F/3.5-5.8 Di III named Best CSC Entry Level Lens at the TIPA Awards 2015

LEOMASTER launches new privacy protection app: LEO Privacy Guard 2.0

Canon India visions 100 Crore revenue by expanding its Product Portfolio in Projection

Sony launches Xperia Z4 in Japan

16 Ask Your Expert

Tips and Techs

40 10 Shots Every Travel Photographer Must Click

48 All about Panoramas

54 Choosing a Destination

60 Guide to getting a perfect star trail

66 Go pro!

70 Travel Portraits

74 How to protect your camera

78 Mobile Travel Photography

3534 may 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com may 2015

Tips from The pros

TRaVel pHoToGRapHY WITH PROS

This month we spoke to three travel photographers from around the world who told us about their journey around the world. From American photographers Gary Arndts stunning travel landscapes, Ralph Velascos sharp eye for capturing travel portraits, to Delhi, India based photographer, Dheeraj Pauls knack of shooting the colourful essence of a city, we will take you on a journey across the world. These photographers talk about everything, from the reason they like travel photography to what sort of preparation goes into it.

GaRY aRNDTHaving visited all seven continents, over 170 countries and territories around the world, every Us state and territory, every canadian province, every australian state and territory, over 125 Us National park service sites and over 285 UNesco World Heritage sites, Gary arndt is no novice to travel photography. This american photographer sold his house in 2007 and has been travelling the world and photographing it ever since. He is known for his dynamic travel shots and has been published across the world. Gary has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Gold Medal, Travel photographer of the Year, society of american Travel Writers in 2014 and Travel photographer of the Year, North american Travel journalists association in 2013.

Why your interest in travel photography over other genres?I travel for a living. I dont have a home and live on the road 365 days a year. If it wasnt for travel, I probably wouldnt be interested in photography at all.

Which are some of your favourite locations to photograph?Some of my favourite places to photograph are the Namib Desert in Namibia, the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Antarctica, the

Galapagos Islands, and many of the national parks in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

What sort of preparation is required for travel photography?I think, there is very little preparation required. You should certainly do some research on a location before venturing, but much of what I do is very spontaneous. Most travel photography is done with natural lighting and on location, so there is

4140 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com May 2015

Tips & Techs

10 shots every travel photographer

must clickSummer is right around the corner and photographers are particularly excited about it! Its no surprise that every photographer is planning a trip or two this holiday season. But for beginners and for semi professionals who have never taken on travel photography before this is a good opportunity to take their cameras out and go crazy. But questions like What do I shoot?, What would make a good travel photograph?, What kinds of photographs can I expect? keep cropping up. this article is aimed to answer these questions in details and to clear the air about travel photography and name ten must have shots while travelling.

One of the most important photos to take during a vacation and while travelling, landscapes is one of the main reasons we all travel. Mountains, rivers, seas or forests a beautiful landscape scene cannot be

neglected by photographers. A must have in your travel album, landscapes are the easiest to shoot. Landscape photography essentially means shooting photographs of natural beauty in a vast or even a smaller

area. Nature itself unfurls its beauty in ways that a photographer has to do little to make the photo look good. If you are a serious photographer, then carry a wide lens, tripod, neutral density filters etc. A

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good sense of composition is also a must. Amateurs always get confused as to how much of the sky or ground to include in a frame. Have a reason for everything that is in your frame and why you chose to include it. While travelling, do not sit in

your hotel, explore! Ask people around for good vantage points that might make a good landscape photograph. The locals are your best hope to find amazing vantage point and it has worked for me a lot of times. Even if you are in your hotel, keep an eye out for

the light. In seashores and mountains the light changes constantly, and good lighting can make a great photograph! Some hotels also provide you with interesting vantage points, especially if theyre facing

PeoPle/Portrait

This is one of the most widely taken photo category by most travelling photographers. India is a huge

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2 country in terms of size and it has a diverse culture. With area peoples facial features, culture, dressing sense and language changes. A portrait without a doubt captures at least two of the above mentioned things if not more. People portraits are interesting and fun to shoot. And what better way to meet new people! To create a good portrait you need to keep a few things in mind. A portrait is not just a photograph of a face. There are a few things that you need to keep in mind while shooting portraits and people shots in general. Firstly make sure the background is not cluttered. If the background has too many disturbing elements then the photographs loses its charm as the eye tends to get distracted from the subject very easily. If it is a tight portrait where most of the frame is occupied by the face try to use depth of field to your advantage and keep the background out of focus if it is uninteresting. Try keeping colourful backgrounds as it adds to the image. Find interesting faces and expressions just dont randomly shoot portraits, wait in a place and look for people with distinct characteristics say, a nose ring, wrinkles from old age, blue eyes or even a beautiful smile. Portraits can be very interesting if a little of the environment is added to it as well. These are called environmental portraits and these can say a lot about people and their profession or lifestyle. Documentary photographers tend to shoot a lot of environmental portraits.

1 landscaPe


Tips & Techs

All about panoramasSometimes a wide lens falls short to capture the breathtaking outdoors in terms of angle of view. Sometimes we wish we could see what the eye sees. An eye, no doubt, is an extraordinary lens, and cannot be duplicated in any camera. However, what we can do is make a panorama. We actually can stitch two or more photographs to increase the angle of view and somewhat replicate or even go beyond the angle of view of our eye! In this article we discuss how to shoot, stitch and edit a panorama. So the next time you are travelling and you need to shoot a panorama, this article might help!

WhaT is panorama/panoramic phoTography?

Panorama photography is the art of taking several pictures of a particular scene and then stitching them to form a single picture of the said scene. This

technique is used when a normal or a wide lens is not able to capture a scene that needs a wider angle of view, for example a mountain range spans for kilometers and needs a much larger angle of view. With advancements in technology and improvements in cameras, panoramas are being widely

used in this digital age. With proper techniques and proper equipments we can create high resolution panoramas with the touch of a button!

Types of panoramasThere are four types of panoramas

and all have their own uniqueness to

them. Here we will discuss them one by one with examples and also talk about when to use them. Wide angle Panoramas

These panoramas essentially look like normal wide angle shots in terms of length: breadth ratios and have a less than 180 degree angle of view.

Photo: DaviDe Damico

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Tips from the Pros


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Photoscape

Camera Reviews Smart Phone Review

Photomontage

TIPS & TECHSTIPS & TECHS

This time of the year is when you must be planning for a vacation, and its not new that you would be struggling to get decide on the best destinations. While seasons play an important part in travel, we are talking about vacations, so only the summers and the winters would be the major seasons. The hill stations and the highlands like Cherapunji, Mahabaleshwar, Nuwara Eliya, Cameron Highland and many more, of course have their holidays during the rainy season and they just look fabulous during that time.

Every destination shows different moods according to the seasons. If you want to get that edge, then, you will have

to swim against the current. You will have to choose a destination which would give you the moody shots and the best photographs in the vacation season. Why go with the flow always and just hit the shores or hills when its a little extreme and not the usual. Crowd, distractions, unnecessary events coming up in the vacation is anyways disturbing. Even in the frames!

Generally, during the summers one would head to the hill stations and during the winters one would go to the coastal areas. Its been like this for ages. What if we break this thumb rule of travel and just do some walking against the wind; to capture our vacation in a much different way. Of

course there are destinations like the wildlife sanctuaries, and then the areas which are snow covered during the actual summers. The timings get locked, because that is how nature works and we are quite helpless.

Empty beaches, rusty forts, misty mountains and green grasslands are like adjectives for our compositions. Accessorising these frames are cherry on the cake and your luck might be just good enough to have the perfect light, and you are on a role for your vacation to be photographed just aptly.

Every country in Asia has a diverse population, as well as diverse natural conditions, from the Himalayas to the

Choosing a destination

54 may 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com


Guide to getting a perfect Startrail

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KILEvery day we come across a number of outstanding star trail images all over the internet and

on other platforms however getting these shots is not an easy task because a lot of time and effort can go into

getting one perfect shot, you need to spend sleepless night to get the shots, a lot of research and planning goes into it. Here are a few points that we have jotted down to help you get a perfect startrail exposure.


Tips & Techs

You must have recently seen a small little camera on the shoulder, on the head or on the bar handle of a bike; that very teeny-tiny camera is the GoPro. It has taken adventure photography and travel photography to a completely different level. While GoPro makes the news only for its videos, the photographs out of this petite camera can beat your favourite DSLRs with wide lenses.

With GoPros user-friendly features, quick response, water resistance, compact size, and brilliant output, a surfer, travel photographer or even a rider wouldnt ask for more. Carrying a DSLR in the water and shooting with it is not the easiest task. However, with the GoPro, dipping in the water to swim, snorkel or scuba dive and shoot images is easy.

GoPro would probably be less of a camera, and more so it becomes become a part of your body. You can carry it along by just start strapping around any moving objects and get some brilliant out of the box results. The new GoPro Hero 4 black edition is making news and people around are investing, in what is probably the best possible equipment in the current lot of action adventure cameras.

A camera with so many great features, one can just work around the few negatives and work towards making the shot turn out to be better. There are other companies offering similar type of cameras like Contour, Drift HD, but battling with them, GoPro still remains in the lead. The little camera gets out the best shot with its super ultra wide lens. It gives us the creative edge by getting the distortion.

Take it anywhere absolutely anywhere, in busy markets, on streets or even dip it into the waters. A camera which lets you go underwater, straps around your shoulder, sticks on to the helmet or even can be hanged on a side street pole for getting the overview of the entire busy street of that city of yours can give you jaw dropping shots.

The camera can get you weird reactions from people who see it for the first time strapped across your chest. Capturing such

Go pro!

71may 2015


Travel PortraitsWhile travelling during a vacation one of the major things that you end up shooting are portraits. Portraits of people travelling with you, local people, they are an essential add-on to your picture series, if you are planning on documenting the place you are visiting thoroughly. Connect: Connecting with locals, indulging in a light conversation with them always works. We feel the most powerful portraits are those in which the subjects are looking straight at the camera or the ones completely candid theres no in between. Looking at such compositions you can feel (as a viewer) as though the person is looking straight out of the photograph at you. To achieve this, you generally need some sort of connect with the person you are

documenting; if not words, a smile would do too. It might only be a momentary one - a glance in the street - or you may have asked the person to pose for you. In travel photography youre often communicating across language barriers, but respect is universal, so always put that into action. If you sense hesitation or hostility, smile and move on. Dont stand there and wait for them to look away its annoying and can also land you up in trouble. Background: Think about whats in the background behind the people youre photographing. Ideally, you want something thats not too distracting but that adds to the context of the place youre shooting in. Another technique for shooting shots of people that ignores the contextual rule is to find a brightly lit position with a dark

background. This can really help the face youre shooting to pop out and capture the viewers attention.

Framing - Some of the best shots we have come across of people while travelling have been tightly framed peoples faces. This means either getting in nice and close to the person, or having and using a good zoom lens.Subject: Most of the shots weve taken of people over the years while travelling have been of single subjects alone in the shot. This is partly just a normal style of most of the travelling photographers, but adding a second person into an image takes a photo to a different place. No long is the shot just about a person and their environment but it somehow becomes relational. The viewer of the photo begins to wonder about the

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Nikon D7200 Honor 6 Plus

6 MAY 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

Hello,I am a reader of the magazine and I am very glad to see such a wonderful magazine is published here. I never knew about it until I got to see an issue of it in the market and bought it recently. Going through your whole magazine I got to see the sections PHOTOSCAPE and PHOTO MONTAGE in which you published the entries and portfolio of amateur as well as professional photographers.

I too have a great interest in Wildlife, Architecture and Street photography and so want to get my photos or portfolio published in your magazine. I would like to know all the guidelines, terms and conditions to get published in the magazine or any other contest/post/articles in which you choose and publish photographs. I am just a budding photographer, started three months ago and I hope you guys like my pictures.

Please reply with the information/terms and other details. I will be very grateful to you for this. Thank you. I am a resident of Delhi studying BFA from JMI,New Delhi.

Dear Anonymous,Firstly you havent left your name in the message that you sent through our website. Anyways its good to know that you liked the magazine and would like to send in your entries to the readers section. The process is very simple. You can send in the entries and every month, we select the sort of pictures that come in depending on what are the best ones and they get featured. There are no terms and conditions except that if selected than we can publish the same pictures.

Its as simple as that. But yes, on a monthly basis we get thousands of entries so the work that we feature has to be very good. So ensure that you send in your best images. As for contests, the biggest one called Artistique has already started and you can log into our website or Facebook page to see the details there.

Dear Editor,I am a follower of your page and I read it regualrly. I am planning to organise a Borneo PhotoFest and wanted to fi nd out if AP would be interested to joining in as an event partner? What we are looking for is very simple.1. Grab 5-20 event joining 2. Contact local International Artists to have a concert tour as our fund and prizes are coming from these concert tickets. The Tour would be in India, Borneo Island, Dhaka and Indonesia. We are still awaiting the revert from Philipines and Brunei on waiting list for venue.

All the concerts will be managed by our team and ideally your team would have to supervise the event and the auditing of tickets selling. Hope to hear from you really soon. Regards,Fauzi Junaidi Ganggalan, Malaysia.

Dear Fauzi,Thanks for your mail but I am little confused of what we are doing here. We will get in touch with you and take a look closely about the information. But I am happy that we have followers in Malaysia as well.

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Dear Sir,Hope you are good. I am a regular reader of your magazine since the past few years and I wanted to ask a few questions about Artistique contest and exhibition. I have been sending in entries for the past two years and they have been shortlisted both the time but unfortunately they havent made it to the fi nals. I have also visited the exhibit both the years in Mumbai and found it to be very interesting.

I just wanted to know how is it that I can make it to the fi nal categories so that my pictures can also be exhibited with the great photographers at the exhibit? If you could guide me in that respect then I would be grateful since I plan to shoot specially this year before I send in my entry.Regs,Mohit Thakur,Mumbai

Dear Mohit,Well it is great to know that you have been entering the initiative for the last two years, and also unfortunate that after being shortlisted they havent made it to the fi nal rounds. But the fact that they have made it to the shortlisting rounds itself is commendable because the sort of work that we have been receiving from the readers is just phenomenal and beautiful. So if you have been getting the information from us that you have made the shortlisting then you are surely doing something right. But in order to get that push over you might have to push yourself a little more.

So the manner in which the selection of the fi nal images is done is by a jury who goes through each and every image carefully. As a jury member I can speak for myself and one of the things that I look for in an image is its content. Ideally since most of us are in this industry we dont get moved by a picture that we have seen on a regular basis. Its more moving to see something new in terms of the content since each jury member are infl uenced by their own perspectives.

So it is a very vigorous process that is undertaken to see what makes it to the fi nal rounds. Also this is the fi rst year where we have introduced a theme to the categories in order to make the exhibition a very cohesive unit, when it comes to the look of it. So for this year it is entirely upto the photographers interpretation of the theme and the images that he submits in the categories that he decides to enter.

In fact if you have decided to shoot for the contest this year then its a very good idea and may be that is something that might be the extra edge that could push you to the fi nals.

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Dear Editor,

I want to convey my thanks and regards to you for reviewing my photos in the link that I provided. I express my gratitude for providing me with your most valuable feedback and reviews on my photos. I promise that I will practice more on shooting techniques and try to improve my compositions. Following your advice I have already started to experiment on different subjects and I am getting better results.

However, I want to improve my compositional skills and give my pictures a more professional touch. I am currently using a Nikon Coolpix L110 camera and looking forward to buy a DSLR after I pass Class 12. It would be very kind of you to provide me, as well as the readers, tips on composition. Hope you take up the subject.

Regards,,Sabyasachi TalukdarNagaon, Assam

Dear Sabya,

Dear Editor,

I have been reading your magazine for a while now and must comment that your team and you have been doing a great job. I have seen the simple and subtle changes that you have brought to the content and the fine balance that the magazine has been achieving lately.

I also like the reader columns like My Story, Ask Your Expert and Shoot My City. I am happy that you are looking at sections in the magazine that make them more reader interactive and I think that is the way forward for any magazine. From the December issue I loved the interview of Dabboo Ratnani. The DSLR shootout also provided a lot of valuable feedback on the cameras and their performances. Wish the AP team renewed success and great year ahead.

Regards,Vishal ShahAhemdabad,Gujarat.

Dear Vishal,

We are always happy to know that the readers are appreciating our work since it takes a lot of effortto put all the things together. Apart from the same I also have a great team that works really hard to ensure that we keep that fine balance in our content going.

In the months to come you will see some more initiatives that are reader driven so that we can engage more of the readers and also interact with them on a regular basis.


NEWS

4-150mm Tamron F/3.5-5.8 Di III named Best CSC Entry Level Lens at the TIPA AWARDS 2015Tamron has announced that the companys first high-power zoom lens designed for Micro Four Thirds mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras, the 14-150mm F/3.5-5.8 Di III (Model C001), has been named best CSC entry level lens at the TIPA AWARDS 2015.

According to an excerpt from the Award citation of the TIPA Jury, CSC cameras promise a lighter and more portable photographic experience. In line with this approach, Tamron has created a lightweight and compact MFT (Micro Four Thirds) compatible lens.

Delivering an impressive (equivalent) focal length range of 28-300mm, the lens weighs a mere 285g (10.1 oz) with a 80.4mm (3.16 inches) in length (unextended). Constructed of 17 elements in 13 groups, the lens has an impressive close focusing distance of 0.5 metres (1.64 feet) and contains AD (Anomalous Dispersion) glass as well as hybrid aspherical and LD (low dispersion) elements. An IF (internal focussing) system means the lens does not extend during focussing. The lens comes in both black and silver models to match the users camera body.

LEOMASTER has launched a brand new privacy protection app called LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 that helps in securing both the mobile phone and the apps it contains. The app claims to have introduced incremental protection levels to match the needs of phone users better. The LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 app is available on Google Play for free. According to the app developers, the LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 design philosophy emphasises simplicity and utility. Main interface includes features like App Lock, Privacy Protection and Settings tabs, where the user can see status and features. For example, under Privacy Protection, the user can see the current protection level and toggle privacy control for photos, videos, messages, and call records.

The tremendous popularity of smartphones has fuelled the rapid development of the digital world. Digitimes Research predicts that in 2015, there will be over 14 billion smartphone users in the world. As the smart phone market continues to boom in South East Asia as well as Latin America, social media and e-commerce apps are vulnerable. LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 App Lock claims to allow the user to anticipate multiple scenarios by giving him/

her control over duration, location, as well as other presets. LEOMASTER introduces an innovative way to categorise privacy protection across several levels, and they are: Dangerous, Vigilant, Normal, Good, and Perfect. The app makes recommendations for the appropriate privacy level according to the users conditions, so that they may make an informed choice. Smartphones have largely replaced traditional cameras and

video recorders, and media can be shared with the rest of the world in seconds. While its fun for the user to have the latest videos and images at their fingertips, there are some content that are not meant to be shared. LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 makes it easy for the user to hide their personal photos and videos and keeps them private.

LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 reportedly also monitors the data usage, battery level, and app installation status, keeping the users relationship with his/her smartphone hassle-free. It also has a collection of design interfaces for the phones lock screen.

LEOMASTER launches new privacy protection app: LEO Privacy Guard 2.0


NEWS

Canon India visions 100 Crore revenue by expanding its Product Portfolio in Projection AnnounceslaunchofnineprojectormodelswithfiveLV-seriesandfourXEEDseriesprojectors.

Debutsitsproprietaryshort-throwshiftablelens,LCOSandpathbreakingeco-friendlytechnology.

Packstherangewithbestinclassfeaturesthatsbestsuitedforsimulationindustry,largecorporates,education,medicalandgovernment.

Aimstocapture10%marketsharenationallybytheyear2017.CanonIndiaventuredintotheIndian

projectormarketwiththelaunchofitsnineLVandXEEDseriesprojectors.Thenewseriesisaimedatprovidingmarket-leadingimagequalitytofulfilthediverseneedsofcustomerslikebetterprojectionofimagesofprecisecolours;loweroperationalcosts,ease-of-useandenergyefficiency.Mr.YasuhikoHoshino,SeniorGeneral

Manager,CanonInc.said,Weareexcitedtobringourgloballyleadingprojectorsequippedwithworld-classtechnologyanduser-friendlyfeaturestocustomersinIndia.Theprojectorsofferqualityandbrightnessalongwithloweroperatingcostsenablingbothbusinessesandend-userstodeliveroptimumresultsataminimumcost.Mr.KazutadaKobayashi,President

andCEO,CanonIndia,said,ProjectionrequirementsofIndiancustomershaveevolvedovertheyears.Apartfrombeingusedforprojectingdata,customersarenowusingittoprojectmovies,videosandgamesaswell.ThenewCanonprojectorsareequippedwithhighqualityopticstocatertosuchneeds.Wewillbereachingouttopotentialcustomersacrossallthemajormetrosandaimtocapture10%marketshareby2017.Canonhasalsointroducedits

proprietaryLCOS(LiquidCrystalonSilicon)technology,usedinXEEDseries,whichmakepossibleprojectionsthatarefreeofthelatticeeffect,aphenomenoninwhichafaintgridpatternappearsovertheprojectedimage.TheXEEDseriesofferspictureby

pictureforhighqualityimageprojectionandUSBprojectionfurthercomplimentthetrademarkpromiseofCanon.Theprojectorsaretargetedatsectorslikelargecorporate,education,medicalandgovernment.TheXEEDseriesofprojectorscanalsobeleveragedbythesimulationindustry.Canonsaiditisproudtointroduce

eco-friendlyfeatures,whichincludeanenhancedlamplightingsystemandastandbymodeconsumingonlyaslowas0.7W(InNetworkOffMode)therebysignificantlyreducingCO2emissions.Thesefeaturesaddtoenvironmentalreservationaswellashelpinreducingrunningcost,saidCanon.TheLVseriesareequippedto

offerlowercostofownershipduetolongerlamplifeandairfilter-freedesign.Itsimprovedimagequality,versatileconnectivity,simpleandeasyinstallationoffersworld-classexperiencetocustomers,informedCanon.Canonwillbefocusingonproviding

producttrainingtoitsemployeesandchannelpartners.Thiswillinturnhelpthemtoeducatecustomersandspreadawarenessabouttheproducts.CanonhassignedIngramMicroastheNationalDistributorforvolumeproductsandwilltie-upwithAVintegratedsolutionprovidersforhigh-endprojectors.Canonwillalsohavechannelpartnerincentiveprogrambasedonthedemos.TheserieslaunchedareLV-WX300,

LV-X300,LV-S300,LV-WX300STandLV-X300STandtheXEEDWUX450and

theXEEDWX520,XEEDWUX400STandtheXEEDWX450ST.LVSeriesistheportablerangeof

projectorsutilisingDLPBrilliantColordisplaytechnologytodeliverrich,realisticcolour,3000lumensofbrightness,a2300:1contrastratioforpureblackwithdepthanddimensionandfilter-freeoperation.TheprojectorintheEcomodelowersthecostofownershipandhelpsreducepowerconsumptionbyapproximately20percentwhilealsoloweringfannoise.ThesenewCanonprojectorsarealso3D-readywhencombinedwithanoptionalDLP-LinkSystemandotheraccessories.TheXEEDserieshaveinbuiltLiquid

CrystalonSilicon(LCOS)technologywhichproducesfine,detailedimageswithoutthelatticeeffectthatissometimesseenonotherprojectors.LCOStechnologyandconstantbrightness(betweenT-edgetoW-edgeatzoom)isuniquetoCanonmeetingusersneedsinvarioussituations.Inadditiontodeliveringexceptional

brightnessandhigh-resolutionperformance,theXEED-STseriesincorporateashort-throwshiftablelenswhichiscapableofprojectingawideverticalrangeofapproximately75%to77%inadditiontoahorizontalrangeofapproximately10%andthatmakespossibleeffortlessinstallationinavarietyofmedium-rangeusageenvironments,includingclassroomsandlecturehalls.

ThenewseriesofprojectorsarerangingfromMRP40,750to`50,0000.

--Lopamudra Ganguly


NEWS

Sony launches Xperia Z4 in Japan

Sony has added another feather to their flagship smartphone cap recently as they quietly unveiled the new Sony Xperia Z4 . Similar in design compared to Xperia Z3 the new Xperia Z4 is packed with new features both in terms of hardware and software. It also reportedly weighs less at 144g, compared to the Z3s 152g. The Xperia Z4s launch comes almost seven months after the Sony Xperia Z3 and is powered by an android lollipop 5.0 and has a 5.2 inch full HD triluminous display with the signature X-reality mobile picture engine. The smartphone also boasts of a 1.5 GHz processor and a whooping 3 GB RAM. Keeping mobile phone photographers in mind the phone has a 32 Gb storage space and boasts of a 20.7 megapixel camera. The mobile is currently limited to Japan and will not be available in all countries just yet. The company has not yet come up with a press release regarding its worldwide availability and speculations are being made that the same will be released with a different name in other countries. The phone also reportedly received a IPX5/IPX8 equivalent certification making the device waterproof and IP6X certification making it dustproof. According to media reports, the smartphone will be available in White, Black, Copper, Aqua Green. It measures 146x72x6.9mm and weighs 144 grams. Connectivity features on the Xperia Z4 includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi with hotspot, 3G, 4G LTE, GPS/ A-GPS, Glonass, Micro-USB, DLNA, and NFC.

The One School Goa adds new three year degree program in photography

The One School Goa, starting September 2015, will offer students Indias first 3-year Degree Program in Photography & Multimedia. While the programme is still pending statutory approvals, officials at The One School Goa are confident of them and are gearing up to receive their 1st batch of students to their new Degree Program in September 2015.

The 3-year course offered by The One School Goa covers both theory and hands on training. The course is designed to accommodate changing dynamics of the industry. Through this course, The One School Goa lays emphasis on building a powerful and professional portfolio. The programme also reportedly gives time to students to acquire advanced skills and also develop their minds in the fields of Photography & Multimedia. It is aimed to enable students to get an understanding of the allied areas such as art appreciation, film making, creative writing & marketing, thus making them a complete photographer, while at the same time offering students the flexibility to choose their area(s) of specialisation.

In addition to the above, The One School Goa is also adding another new course to their existing curriculum - the Foundation in Visual Communication, which will last for a period of one year. The yearlong Foundation in Visual Communication course is designed to introduce students to various forms of visual communication such as photography, multi-media, graphic design, sketching and painting. According to The One School Goa, the rigorous course will provide students with hands-on training from different faculty members who specialise in each of the disciplines the course covers. The school believes that through this course students will get the opportunity to develop their creative portfolios.

Asus Zenfone 2 launched in India starting at `12,999

Asus has recently launched its much awaited ZenFone 2 series in India at price starting from `12,999. The company has launched four variants of the phone, two of which are high-end.

The Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML has two variants with 64GB and 32GB internal storage. Both the devices will have 4GB RAM powered by 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor. The only difference is the internal storage capacity. Both the phones will also have Full-HD display. The phones will be sold at `22,999 and `19,999 respectively.

Another variant of the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML will have lower RAM at 2GB and

internal storage at 16GB. This variant will also sport Full-HD display and comes packing an inferior Intel Atom Z3560 processor clocked at 1.8GHz. This variant of ZE551ML will be sold at `14,999.

The company also launched another ZenFone 2 ZE550ML, with 720p display, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage. It will be sold at `12,999.

All models run the new version of the

Zen UI that is built atop Android 5.0 Lollipop. It features a 13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and 5MP front facing camera. It sports Real-Tone flash to ensure warm skin tones and accurate colours. All models get expandable memory slot up to 64GB. The specs sheet also reveals dual-SIM and 4G support, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection and GloveTouch support.

The camera also features an enhanced HDR mode and a blue glass infrared filter, helping shoot backlit scenes, such as sunset portraits. The cameras zero shutter lag lets users take photos instantly.

- Toprit Saifi


Answered by Bhavya DesaiEditor, Asian PhotographySend in your Questions [email protected]

Dear Sir,I have been reading the e-version of the magazine for a long time now and fi nd it very interesting. But I have a question regarding the same. I wanted to get an access to the older issues as well and wanted to know if I can download the past issues and keep them as archives.Suresh RajaramSingapore

Dear Suresh,We have forwarded your email to the relevant department. But I will try and answer the ques-tion to the best of my knowledge. Our e-version subscription module was designed way ahead of time, even before anyone else thought about some-thing like this.

For security reasons they only provide access from the time that the e-versions have been subscribed. But under your existing ID, it might be diffi cult to provide access to the same since there would not be any manner in which to backtrack on the same ID.

17MAY 2015

Questionof the Month

AP

THE QUESTION OF THE MONTH WINS CAMERA CLEANING KIT WORTH `600

Dear Sir,Which is the best photography stream to earn, and how to fi nd a highly experienced professional for the apprenticeship?SyedHyderabad

Dear Syed,There is no specifi c stream that you can enter in order to earn more money. The way I see it, if you are good then you will earn money either ways. You can refer to our article last month on different genres of photography to see which one you like best. As for the possibility of having an apprentice-ship with a photographer, then the only way is to check them out online and approach them with your work.

Dear Sir,I am new to reader to your magazine and till now the experience has been very good. I am looking for a good DSLR from Nikon. With your little help I may develop my hobby better and I will be very glad and grateful.Chinmay SinghBhubaneswar

Dear Chinmay,Good to know that you are enjoying the magazine. Well, it is very diffi cult for me to sit here and suggest a good camera, honestly. For the simple reason that most of the products in the market are good, and I have no idea what is it that you want to do, and what is your budget like. So if I were you, I would ask myself the following questions.1. What would I like to do with the camera?2. What is my budget?3. What are the features that I am looking for?4. What genres am I looking to shoot, even as an amateur?5. Am I planning to take this up seriously later on?May be this might help since there are many question that you need to answer before investing in a camera.

In my experience, all good photographers are always looking for good assistants, and if you are good at your work, then I dont see any reason why anyone wouldnt want to hire you.


Tips from The pros

TRaVel pHoToGRapHY WITH PROS

This month we spoke to three travel photographers who told us about their journey across the globe. From american photographers Gary arndts stunning travel landscapes, Ralph Velascos sharp eye for capturing travel portraits, to Delhi, India based photographer, Dheeraj pauls knack of shooting the colourful essence of a city, we will take you on a journey across the world. These photographers talk about everything, from the reason they like travel photography to what sort of preparation goes into it.

GaRY aRNDTHaving visited all seven continents, over 170 countries and territories around the world, every Us state and territory, every canadian province, every australian state and territory, over 125 Us National park service sites and over 285 UNesco World Heritage sites, Gary arndt is no novice to travel photography. This american photographer sold his house in 2007 and has been travelling the world and photographing it ever since. He is known for his dynamic travel shots and has been published across the world. Gary has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Gold Medal, Travel photographer of the Year, society of american Travel Writers in 2014 and Travel photographer of the Year, North american Travel journalists association in 2013.

Why your interest in travel photography over other genres?I travel for a living. I dont have a home and live on the road 365 days a year. If it wasnt for travel, I probably wouldnt be interested in photography at all.

Which are some of your favourite locations to photograph?Some of my favourite places to photograph are the Namib Desert in Namibia, the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Antarctica, the Galapagos

Islands, and many of the national parks in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

What sort of preparation is required for travel photography?I think, there is very little preparation required. You should certainly do some research on a location before venturing, but much of what I do is very spontaneous. Most travel photography is done with natural lighting and on location, so there is less work than studio photography.

21may 2015


TIPSBeing in the perfect place at the perfect time is more important than having perfect gear. You dont need a lot of gear. The basics will serve you better than a giant bag of lenses.Be aware of the light. Light is everything.Look out for the little things. Scenic landscapes are great, but also pay attention to smaller things like flowers or ornaments on a building.Be patient. Ive sat for hours in one spot waiting for conditions to be just right. You will often have no control over your subject.

23may 2015

What are some of the key things one must keep in mind when doing travel photography?Recognize that your subjects are humans and they are not there for you. Respect them and honour their wishes.

How important is equipment in travel photography?It is less important than in many other photography genres. I carry one body and three lenses. Thats it. Getting in place to get the right shot is far more important than having the best camera or the perfect lens.

What are the challenges and the rewards of this genre?The rewards are getting to travel around the world. The challenges are getting to the right place at the right time. A great photo might only occur when conditions are right with light, time and weather.

What role does post-processing play in travel photography?It plays a lesser role than it does in fashion photography perhaps, but I do edit all my photos, usually, nothing more than 30-60 seconds of editing in Lightroom. Most of what I do is trying to compensate for lighting conditions I cant control.

What would you like to advice an upcoming travel photographer?Dont expect to make a lot of money and be prepared to travel a lot. Most of the great travel photographers I know have been to over 100 countries during their career.


RalpH VelascoRalph Velasco has been travelling since he was as young as 15, and started shooting with a point and shoot film camera. Today, he is a photography instructor and international guide who has photographed in over 50 countries on 6 continents. He was selected as one of the Top 100 Travel photographers in the World by a site in the UK, also as one of the Top 10 Travel photography Bloggers by Usa Todays 10best.com. additionally he was chosen as the open photographer of the Year for two years in a row by the professional photographers of orange county.

The rich diversity of each of these places; and by that Im referring to the people, the food, the music, the history, the customs, the culture and more; adds so much to the overall experience.

What sort of preparation is required for travel photography?I recommend to my clients that they do a fair amount of research before a trip so that they know what to expect. Ill also send out a very detailed set of Orientation Information to help each participant to prepare for each trip, and this includes a gear list, cultural tips, dos and taboos, information on safety, how the money works, etc. Its great

to be spontaneous, but the amount of preparation and research a person does can often be directly correlated to the success of their trip.

What are some of the key things one must keep in mind when doing travel photography?I think its extremely important to give the viewers of our photography an overall sense of the place, so I always recommend working from a shot list so that you come back with a variety of images, and not just people photographs, or just monuments, or just plates of food.

How important is equipment in

Tips from The pros

Why your interest in travel photography over other genres?Travel photography is a blend of most, if not all, genres, so I think that this potential for variety keeps me interested and allows me to tell the complete story of each destination. I consider myself a traveller first and a photographer second. Im much more interested in the cultural exchanges and experiences I have, but great photo ops always seem to present themselves along the way, although, theyre just the icing on the cake.

Which are some of your favourite locations to photograph?Each place has its own pros and cons, but some of the recent locations Ive been to that I found extremely good for photography are Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cuba, Turkey and Romania.

25may 2015

travel photography?Equipment is somewhat important, but not the only consideration, in fact, the first tip in my ebook is that its not about the camera. People are surprised to hear that I travel with a single DSLR body and a single 24 120 mm f/4 lens, although I do also have a fixed 50 mm f/1.4 that I use to challenge myself once in a while, and as a backup just in case the other lens fails. If one truly wants to improve his or her travel photography, spend money on travel, not more gear.

What are the challenges and the rewards of this genre?As Ive referenced before, the challenge with travel photography is telling the complete story, which may require coming back to a location over and over again, as its very difficult to do with limited time in a destination. The reward is the finished story itself. And having that variety of images can result in some


great content for other uses, whether it be a book, presentation, website or blog post. There are so many outlets for our photography these days.

What role does post-processing play in travel photography?If you ask me, shooting RAW is the only way to go, and so a RAW file needs to be post processed. That being said, I spend about 30 seconds on each image in post. Of course, I try to get the image right in camera, and then I have little work to do after, but with the amount of travel I do and the amount of images I make each year, I couldnt spend much more than that, even if just on the best of the best. One other thing Ill say is that for someone who travels and shoots as much as I do, its imperative to keep up with downloading, sorting, rating and post-processing images almost on a daily basis along the way. I couldnt possibly come back to face that job all at once after each trip, but need to do it little by little over the course of the trip.

What would you like to advise an upcoming travel photographer?The first thing a person who wants to get into travel photography should do is to develop a first class

27may 2015

TIPS Be aware of your backgrounds. Always look deeper into the scene to see if theres something in the background youd like to include or exclude, to help tell a story. My mantra has become, Either its in or its out. Take an extra second or two to scan all four edges of the frame while looking through the viewfinder so that you can include what you want in the frame, or exclude what you dont want. Often times I see photographers waiting until everyone is out of the scene before they make the image, but Im typically the opposite. I want at least one person in most scenes to add what I call a human touch, or a definite point of interest. Additionally, this provides a sense of scale, but also brings the viewer of the image into the scene by giving them something to relate to. Watch your horizons. I do a lot of image reviews and critiques and the first thing that pops out at me is if a horizon in the image is off. This could be a natural horizon like a sunset or landscape, but it might also be a man-made horizon, like the altar of a church or the windowsill of a building. If you have trouble keeping horizons level in-camera, theres no harm in simply shooting a little wider and then fixing them in post. Shoot both a landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) version of every scene. Photograph each scene the way it looks most natural to you, then simply turn the camera 90 degrees to get another, often completely different, feeling version of the same scene. This works in most cases, so try it and soon youll be in the habit of doing this, and it could double your photo opportunities.

portfolio of images. That portfolio is your calling card and has to be top notch in order to be taken seriously. This, of course, requires travel, but you can also start in your own area and then branch out over time to other destinations. Then get your

work out there, whether with your own website (this is mandatory), on Facebook, entering quality photo contests, and the like. No use clicking great photographs and keeping it on your hard drive, it needs to be shared.


Why your interest in travel photography over other genres?I am a people photographer; I enjoy travel photography which allows me to document portraits, emotions and living conditions of humans irrespective of their region. Travel is part of street photography where you dont like to pose or stage situation rather you need to be spontaneous to capture the fleeting moment through the lens.

Which are some of your favourite locations to photograph?India as a whole is full of pictures, and every step is a picture opportunity. I love Varanasi for its rich culture and spirituality, Delhi, my homeland, inspires you to shoot both historic and modern way of life. Pushkar is

another wonderful place for a photographer to be at during the famous Camel Fair. I have been mentoring Photo Expeditions to all these places for photo enthusiasts from across the globe and they just enjoy photographing these cities. Lastly, witnessing Kumbh Mela is a photographers delight. Travel photographers from all over the world visit India to capture the Nagas at Kumbh,

which is known as the largest gathering of humans on planet earth.

What sort of preparation is required for travel photography?I recommend travel photographers to travel light but at the same time take your favourite lenses along. Unlike advertising, travel Photography is not about showing off.

DHeeRaj paUlHailing from a family of well-known skilled professional photographers, Dheeraj paul has been surrounded by cameras since his childhood. after being mentored by his father, the legendary photographer, s. paul, he went on to shoot across various genres, from travel and street to editorial and advertising photography, and have his work displayed in a number of countries. His proficiency and the quality of his work have helped him bag numerous awards in India and across the globe.

Tips from The pros

29may 2015

I am a hardcore technology guy and have moved to compact yet high-quality Sony Alpha 7 Series Mirrorless full-frame cameras, they allow me to carry all my favourite lenses along with three bodies in a small camera bag.

I always make sure to keep ample amount of formatted memory cards and extra batteries during my travel assignments and expeditions.

What are some of the key things one must keep in mind when doing travel photography?The most important is to be original in what you capture. One needs to conceive new perspectives and angles when it comes to shooting famous landmarks. One needs to think beyond pretty postcard images. Try to candidly capture people along with the monuments. The essence of the destination should be visible in the frame.


miss and you have to repent forever. There is no second chance in street and travel photography. Lenses play a vital role in travel photography. If one needs to captures architectural monuments,

How important is equipment in travel photography?A photographer needs vision to frame his composition but to make it happen ones needs a modern sophisticated camera as well.

In this megapixel wars of 24MP, 36MP and 50MP cameras, one needs a camera which is fast in capturing with precise AF capabilities, as during travel people are always on the go, and its all about capturing in real time; one

TIPSBest time for taking pictures is two hours after the sunrise and two hours before the sunset. Utilise these 4 hours of the day the most for your travel pictures.For taking travel pictures one needs to get out from their comfort zone.Try to capture candid moments. However, talk to the strangers on streets, and make them comfortable before you ask them permissions.Dont argue when you are in new city, if they dont want to be photographed, leave them on their own. There is always next opportunity coming up.Dont hesitate to experiment with light and exploring new vantage points.

31may 2015

super wide-angled zooms are required. If one needs to concentrate more on emotions and expressions, then telephoto zooms are best, and for taking pictures in available light or poor lighting situations, fast prime lenses are required.

What are the challenges and the rewards of this genre?Travel photography is always challenging, as a photographer always need to be on their toes to capture moments on the go. The real task is to freeze an ordinary scene in an extraordinary way. That makes a snapshot turn into a creative picture. Capturing night scenes are also very difficult to expose, yet looks spectacular with neon lights or lighted monuments. A lot of patience and precision is involved when photographing people at dusk or after the dark.

What role does post-processing play in travel photography?In this digital era one cannot ignore post-processing. In fact to enhance digital work by software or in camera effects is not wrong at all, but photographers should know their

limits. Too much edited or saturated pictures looks artificial and amateurish. We as photographers are not allowed to remove or add any other elements through editing software in travel and people photography. Be as pure as possible.

I would suggest a lot of post-processing of the pictures should be avoided. Multiple HDR shots are fine in landscapes, or composite images in star trails, but should be avoided in people and portraits.

What would you like to advice to upcoming travel photographers?As I mentioned before, be original and innovative when it comes to aesthetics. Try new style of compositions. Dont be lazy; wake up early to follow the light. For capturing, it is said that one must reach the location before the very first light. Do your homework before visiting a new place. Find out what are the interesting or important places to visit, local language or people behaviour, as all of this is important to know well in advance.

Prepare prior written permissions, if required, to avoid last minute disappointment.

TEXT: AbhIShEk dESAI

34 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

SHOOT MY CITY

RatnagiriRatnagiriRatnagiriOff to the shores of

There are a lot of places that one can go to when they want beautiful pictures, but one such place on the shores of Maharashtra that is beautiful, yet less explored, is Ratnagiri!

Its a well known fact that Konkan and its surrounding village areas are generally laid back and so was Ratnagiri, a sleepy village.

A place which gave birth to freedom fighters like Lokmanya Tilak, and has a history with Veer Savarkar, is a must visit for history fans. The premise of the Patit Pawan Mandir, a temple built by Savarkar, has a different department of the Government, the Maharashtra Office of the Assistant

Controller of Legal metrology.The distances in this city are really short.

A weekend is more than enough for anyone to explore this place. The visits to research centers related to the sea and works of the locals are quite interesting.

A city where industries like Finolex are established and creating employment, there are locals who are in the business of farming, with the specialty being mango and jackfruit plantations. There are small farms of cashew nuts too. Ratnagiri has a little blend of city life and village life, but much of it maintains the rural style. It depicts that its a slow but a developing city.

The coastal areas of this city are the major attractions, fresh sea food and the ruined forts. Going down to the interior part of the villages and taking a walk by the road is what is exciting to explore. Villages like the Pawas, Chiplun, Ganpatipule are well versed to the urbanisation, but they still prefer to be village like. One can notice the structure of the building and clothing might have changed due to the influence of the film industry and urbanisation, but the feel at their houses is still rustic and quiet. There are also the inner circle villages like Ambere and Ambav which are still untouched, and you can drive down only to a limit after


TIPS & Techs

All about panoramasSometimes a wide lens falls short to capture the breathtaking outdoors in terms of angle of view. Sometimes we wish we could see what the eye sees. An eye, no doubt, is an extraordinary lens, and cannot be duplicated in any camera. However, what we can do is make a panorama. We actually can stitch two or more photographs to increase the angle of view and somewhat replicate or even go beyond the angle of view of our eye! In this article we discuss how to shoot, stitch and edit a panorama. So the next time you are travelling and you need to shoot a panorama, this article might help!

WHAT IS PANORAMA/PANORAMIC PHOTOGRAPHY?

Panorama photography is the art of taking several pictures of a particular scene and then stitching them to form a single picture of the said scene. This Ph

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technique is used when a normal or a wide lens is not able to capture a scene that needs a wider angle of view, for example a mountain range spans for kilometers and needs a much larger angle of view. With advancements in technology and improvements in cameras, panoramas are being widely

used in this digital age. With proper techniques and proper equipment we can create high resolution panoramas with the touch of a button!

TYPES OF PANORAMASThere are four types of panoramas

and all have their own uniqueness to

them. Here we will discuss them one by one with examples and also talk about when to use them. Wide angle Panoramas

These panoramas essentially look like normal wide angle shots in terms of length: breadth ratios and have a less than 180 degree angle of view.

Photo: DAVIDE DAMICO

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These are sometimes used in place of wide angle lenses since stitching four photographs taken with a 50mm has less or no distortion compared to a photograph taken with a wide angle lens. They also have a greater resolution compared to a single image, since the single photo is actually four photos stitched together. So if a wide angle lens is too expensive for your travel landscape needs this is the way to go. 180 degree panoramas

As the name suggests, these types of panoramas cover a wider area that is, a 180 degree angle of view. These are most commonly used in panorama photography. A large valley, a cityscape and mountain peaks are best shot using a 180 degree view. These usually have four or more

shots stitched together since the angle of view to be covered is more. While travelling a 180-degree panorama will satisfy most of your wide angle needs and more. 360 degree panorama

Panoramas that cover almost 360 degrees of angle of view are called 360 degree panoramas. These have a super wide angle of view and cover a large area in one single stitched shot. Reasons to use this are plenty. While travelling you will often find yourself with breathtaking 360 degree views of mountain ranges and valleys surrounding you and no wide angle or fisheye lens can capture the view the way a panorama can.Spherical Panoramas

These are amazing, visually odd-looking panoramas that are also

called planets because of the way they look. These panoramas create a spherical image in a square plane and require a special editing technique. These are rarely used but used nonetheless.

STACKING IMAGESTaking vertical images

Taking a series of vertical images and stitching them together is a preferred way to create larger panoramas like a 180 or 360 degree view, as they tend to capture more of the top and bottom half of the images, giving you a larger room to crop after post processing. These also allow you to get higher resolution since more data is included into the frame. Taking horizontal images

Taking horizontal frames has its

Photo: PurvA DAmle

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own advantages. It allows you to overlap two images much more, thus assuring you a better and seamless edit. These are used in wide angle panoramas. But this reduces the ability to crop from the top and bottom of the final edited image.

Both these styles allow vertical stacking which means shooting a horizontal row of images and pointing the camera up or down and shooting another set of images. There are several parameters for image stacking to work perfectly and we will talk about them later in this article.

SHOOTING A PANORAMA

First identify the frame. Deciding the number of images needed to cover the complete angle of view

is necessary. Try to get a vantage point on top of a mountain or a hill or a sunrise spot etc and make sure no tree branches or rocks etc are blocking your view.

Check the weather. If it is windy and the clouds are moving fast then stitching would be a problem since the frame changes between two consecutive shots. Overlapping would be a hassle. If it is a sunrise or sunset the light will change every second, thus exposure will change between frames. The stitching will not be seamless.

Check for moving objects. If there are moving objects in cityscapes for example people walking, cars, cyclists then panorama would not be a preferred option anymore for the same reason.

Find the exposure. Figure out the exposure beforehand, keep your camera in manual mode and set the exposure for the frame. Auto modes are avoided because the camera reads different exposures for the each frame thus giving different results in each and every frame.

Decide on how you will shoot. If you use a tripod, then place it firmly and make sure the horizon is straight. Make sure you can pan it without obstruction or without moving the tripod. While shooting handheld make sure you are holding the camera close to your body. Do a mock panning to make sure you can hold the camera steady while panning. Use the viewfinder for better stability.

Lock focus - Once you are satisfied with the placement of your

Photo: JAZMIN MILLION


camera focus on the subject and then set your lens to manual focus so that the camera does not try to refocus in subsequent shots.

Shoot - Start from the extreme left. Shoot one picture and then pan your camera slowly to the right. Make sure you have at least 40-50% overlapping in between the frames. The computer while editing looks at the overlapping parts of the frame as stitching points. This is very important since this is what helps in seamlessly stitching the images. You can overlap lesser amounts of each image to have

less number of images for the stitch but it is always advised to get as much overlapping as possible but nothing more than 50%. Keep repeating this process till you reach the end of your desired frame. You can also point upwards or downwards for vertical overlapping. You now have a series of photos serially numbered for the editing software to work its magic on.

USING PANORAMIC HEADS

If you are a serious panorama photographer and like to shoot

panoramas often then investing in a panoramic tripod head would be a good investment. This reduces the headache of worrying about parallax error while shooting. These panoramic heads have plates that move around the axis and provide a much more accurate set of pictures to stitch. Having said that, even shooting handheld with a little caution and knowledge of how panorama works, can provide amazing results. It is easier and quicker to shoot handheld and you do not have to carry a cumbersome bag while travelling and of course saves on the cost!

Photo: Steve DSouzA

Photo: Steve DSouzA

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EDITING A PANORAMANow that you are done shooting a panorama it

is time to edit it and look at the final product. Many might think this is a complicated process and back away from shooting panoramic images, but you will be surprised to know that it is actually an easy and fun process. Adobe Photoshop does a really good job in stitching. There are other software as well but Photoshops stitching is better than most of those software. You can actually see in front of your eyes the entire process of layering being done by Photoshop and it is exciting to see the final image. To stitch a panorama, first open Photoshop. Now go to File>Automate>Photomerge. As you click photomerge a window opens, now browse and select the images. Keep your layout at auto and check on the Blend images together and Geometric Distortion Correction checkbox. Make sure the filenames are in order from left of the image to right

of the image since Photoshop reads the files according to the filenames given. If not, then sort them out, rename them accordingly and add them. Click on Ok and see the magic happen. The final result will be somewhat like the example below.

Now that the image is open, go to the layers tab and select all the layers and flatten the image. After merging all the visible layers correct the exposure, crop the photo and tilt the photo to straighten the horizon. The last thing you need to do is sharpen the photograph using unsharpen mask and save the image. The entire process of shooting a panorama is not easy and should be practised a few times beforehand. It is strongly advised that you shoot in your city, edit and see what mistakes you make before you actually shoot at your summertime trip. You will be surprised to see the amazing panoramic photographs you can make in the city itself. Happy shooting and happy travelling!

TEXT & imagEs : souradEEp roy


This time of the year is when you must be planning for a vacation, and its not new that you would be struggling to decide on the best destinations. While seasons play an important part in travel, we are talking about vacations, so only the summers and the winters would be the major seasons. The hill stations and the highlands like Cherapunji, Mahabaleshwar, Nuwara Eliya, Cameron Highland and many more, of course have their holidays during the rainy season and they just look fabulous during that time.

Every destination shows different moods according to the seasons. If you want to get that edge, then, you will have

to swim against the current. You will have to choose a destination which would give you the moody shots and the best photographs in the vacation season. Why go with the flow always and just hit the shores or hills when its a little extreme and not the usual. Crowd, distractions, unnecessary events coming up in the vacation is anyways disturbing. Even in the frames!

Generally, during the summers one would head to the hill stations and during the winters one would go to the coastal areas. Its been like this for ages. What if we break this thumb rule of travel and just do some walking against the wind; to capture our vacation in a much different way. Of

course there are destinations like the wildlife sanctuaries, and then the areas which are snow covered during the actual summers. The timings get locked, because that is how nature works and we are quite helpless.

Empty beaches, rusty forts, misty mountains and green grasslands are like adjectives for our compositions. Accessorising these frames are cherry on the cake and your luck might be just good enough to have the perfect light, and you are on a role for your vacation to be photographed just aptly.

Every country in Asia has a diverse population, as well as diverse natural conditions, from the Himalayas to the

Choosing a destination



Malaysian Islands, from the river banks of the Ganga to the desert-lying areas of the different countries. Asia comprises of too many options for photographers who are crazy about photography and also exploring new destinations. From all these options,

choosing a decent enough destination from a photographers point of view does take a lot of time and thinking.

Hit the beaches in summers and the hill stations in winters. Just that, start a little early so that you would also get the mix

season to capture. The transit between seasons is also beautiful to observe and capture the drama.

While talking of summer vacations in India, how can one not think of the mangoes? The mangoes have conveniently made India as their favourite place to grow, the coastal regions where they mostly grow. Summers can drive you hot and sweaty. Instead of the typical hill station rush to the shores which would be less crowded, more relaxed than the busy hill stations and cheaper too. Landscapes, seascapes, water animals, empty beaches with family and friends would make the best deal to come out with some vibrant, colourful and playful shots.

Coastal Regions Costal Destinations give immense space and time to make your vacations full of photographs. Beaches play an important part of the countries which have long coastal regions.

One can find a lot of temples, churches, stone walls up near the beaches which have a long history behind it, and capturing this history and making it memorable

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cannot be of greater joy. In the evenings with the light which emerge along the sand and also the hilly regions, near the beaches, the lighthouses become the sole reason of photographing the evenings and nights. Finding different types of light arrangements and capturing the best possible seascapes by making the use of manmade structures can be of a great advantage. Few more to mention can be Ullal, Malpe, Mahabalipuram, Marina, Vizag, Dhanushkodi.

Forts near the sea beds also form an attraction for offbeat travellers and photographers. In summers one can also try staying there as the tourists and regular visitors during the afternoon, evening and nights slowly fade away, and you would get to the sun rising and the setting in front of your lenses.

Talking of capturing the sun setting, also think of East facing beaches. If one is talking about India, there are a couple of ports which you can think of only because they would help in capturing sunrises, which is an unusual thing when it comes to the Indian eastern coastal region. Eastern

coastal beaches which can be considered as working ports can be Bakkhali, Gahirmatha, Silver Beach, Puri.

Wildlife sanctuaries Every season has its own destinations. One such can be the wildlife sanctuaries.

We have almost all type of animals which one would find in the wild in India. We human beings are surely working towards making this world a better place by doing some wildlife work and also through donations. Governments and the respective countries population are seen working


priceless. Expressions, movements, different point of views is something one can easily capture with such a lightweight camera.

The camera is all about getting up close and knowing your subject well. One should be extremely observant when photographing with the GoPro. One can just go on shooting with the camera, but getting that expression

or that angle with a lens like that has to be mastered after loads of practice.

A camera which gives such immense saturation and the hues are captured so beautifully, surely is a pick for any type of a vacation. They might need a little bit of tweaking here and there but basic editing software can be enough.

The camera settings cannot be controlled. Every shot will be exposed according to the cameras sensor. It will adjust the exposure, and the camera will blow out the sunny sky or the over exposed area in the composition, if it has to get the low or under exposed subjects in proper sky. Shooting such situations can be tricky with

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this camera. Generally, overcast clouds do add to the photographs of these cameras, it just adds on to the balancing of the light all throughout the frame. You might just come across a better foreground and then lessen the sunny sky.

Generally, this camera works as a partner to your DSLR and that is how it makes a great combination. At times, the wide lenses also dont give a satisfactory output. This wide genius might just be the answer to that.

Everyone these days loves to click a selfie. Travel selfies having backdrops of the tourist spot you recently visited, and it is really something one would like to cherish. With that wide range and a little bit of knowhow would be enough to position the camera and get some great selfies.

Wide is a word which everyone relates to landscape photography. One need not do much, when one has an action camera like this one. You could just aim at the beautiful sights and capture the landscape with a unique angle. The GoPro fulfills this condition really well. Keeping an eye on the horizon and the distortion should be worked out and thus no trouble should be seen in the output. Setting up the horizon line is the key, and your shots are bang on, perfectly made.

Wide lens of this camera can turn out to be problematic if not well thought of and observed the exact output. You might see your own shadow entering unnecessarily in the frames. As one cannot see the output of the photograph right away you never know how many of them you have already been a part of. So, do understand the suns position and try your best not to find your

own shadow disturbing what is probably the best frame you might have made that day.

The light weight can just adds on to the beautiful photographs which it would give you during your long travels or even for your one day trips. Go out, travel, and explore the surroundings with a camera like GoPro. You would just make awesome shots even when you dont have a DSLR!

TEXT: purva damlEimagEs: vasEEm paThan


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Travel PortraitsWhile travelling during a vacation one of the major things that you end up shooting are portraits. Portraits of people travelling with you, local people, they are an essential add-on to your picture series, if you are planning on documenting the place you are visiting thoroughly. Connect: Connecting with locals, indulging in a light conversation with them always works. We feel the most powerful portraits are those in which the subjects are looking straight at the camera or the ones completely candid theres no in between. Looking at such compositions you can feel (as a viewer) as though the person is looking straight out of the photograph at you. To achieve this, you generally need some sort of connect with the person you are

documenting; if not words, a smile would do too. It might only be a momentary one - a glance in the street - or you may have asked the person to pose for you. In travel photography youre often communicating across language barriers, but respect is universal, so always put that into action. If you sense hesitation or hostility, smile and move on. Dont stand there and wait for them to look away its annoying and can also land you up in trouble. Background: Think about whats in the background behind the people youre photographing. Ideally, you want something thats not too distracting but that adds to the context of the place youre shooting in. Another technique for shooting shots of people that ignores the contextual rule is to find a brightly lit position with a dark

background. This can really help the face youre shooting to pop out and capture the viewers attention.

Framing - Some of the best shots we have come across of people while travelling have been tightly framed peoples faces. This means either getting in nice and close to the person, or having and using a good zoom lens.Subject: Most of the shots weve taken of people over the years while travelling have been of single subjects alone in the shot. This is partly just a normal style of most of the travelling photographers, but adding a second person into an image takes a photo to a different place. No long is the shot just about a person and their environment but it somehow becomes relational. The viewer of the photo begins to wonder about the

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relationship and a new layer is added to your shot.

Variety: Quite often its the shots of people dressed in regional

costumes that tend to attract photographers when travelling. While these shots can be very effective, its not necessary that they are always really representative of a culture. Quite often these people have dressed up especially for a show or tourist attraction and the majority of people in that country look quite different. Mix up the types, gender and ages of people that you take photos of and you can end up with a very effective collage of faces of a place.Arrange an extended photo shoot: This goes against the nature of travel photography which is usually very fast and spontaneous but on one or two occasions, you can sit with a person for a longer period of time and photograph them in a more extended manner. This enables your photographs to take a on a story- telling nature and can

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lead to some wonderful sequences of shots using different photographic techniques, lenses and situations to shoot in.

Candid: To get a much more spontaneous shot, keep your camera always to the eye level. The kind of shots that you get while

being candid are way better than the normal posed ones. These shots often include people interacting with others or expressing true emotion. We recommend keeping your camera on continuous shooting mode to get better candid shots.Lens: We firmly believe any lens, and when we say any lens, even an 18-55mm lens, can give you an amazing portrait if shot properly. Having said that, some lenses do tend to lend themselves to great portraits, like the primes. We believe any fixed focal length between 50mm and 135mm is a good range to work with. Going for wide angle lenses can also produce amazing shots but you will often find that they distort your subjects face a little (sometimes this is very effective). Choosing a longer focal length can be useful for putting your subjects a little more at ease.

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How to protect your cameraPhotographers hold one thing more dearly than their life - their equipment. Without equipment, a photographer is nothing. Thus, caring for it is the utmost priority of a photographer. But while travelling, we have all faced difficult weather conditions and have all been, at least once in our lives, worried about our equipment. What if it rains and moisture spoils the lens, how do we protect the equipment from extreme heat or cold? In this article we discuss how to keep your camera and all other equipment safe while travelling.

The first step while packing your equipment for a tour is to research on the weather. Is it usually rainy this time of the year? What is the temperature? What is the expected moisture level? Beginners usually never look into things like this and come back with fungi in their camera sensors and lenses. This small step goes a long way of saving money and time to get your sensor cleaned later on. So how do we deal with extreme weather conditions? We will go through four steps in the article.

Extreme HeatMost of our camera bodies are black in colour and get heated up really fast. This especially happens if you are shooting in

asian photography may 2015

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